AirForces Monthly – September 2019

Abbreviations: D: Date N/U: Nationality/Units T: Type S: Serials

Close-up of the rear

of USAF 480th Fighter

Squadron F-16CM 96-

0080 ‘SP/480FS’ while

flying over the runway

at RAF Fairford on July

21, clearly showing

damage incurred

to the starboard

horizontal

stabiliser during

its flying

display. Mike

Hiley

Serbian Air Force and Air

Defence HN-42M Gama

after its crash on July 18.

Aleksandar Radic ́

http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #378 September 2019 // 89

defensive action to ensure the

safety of the ship and crew after

the UAV approached to within

threatening range, its operators

having ignored multiple calls to

stand down. Iran denied claims

of the downing and released

video purporting to prove it had

continued its routine surveillance

mission. The UAV was downed

by a Light Marine Air Defense

Integrated System (LMADIS),

a new anti-UAV detection and

jamming system, which was

installed on a US Marine Corps

Polaris MRZR all-terrain vehicle

on the forward section of the

ship’s flight deck. The LMADIS

incorporates a combination of

electronic jammers, radars and

gun systems. This was the first

known ‘kill’ by the system.

D: Jul 18

N/U: Serbian Air Force and

Air Defence/98th Aviation

Brigade/714th Anti-

Armour Helicopter

Squadron

T: HN-42M Gama

(SA341H Gazelle)

S: 12836

This helicopter was extensively

damaged when it landed heavily

and rolled over onto its starboard

side in a field at 1910hrs local time

near Rutevac village, Aleksinac

municipality, while carrying out a

training flight. Neither of the two

crew members were reported to

have suffered serious injuries.

D: Jul 21

N/U: US Air Force/

52nd Fighter Wing/

480th Fighter Squadron

T: F-16CM

S: 96-0080 ‘SP/480FS’

United States Viper Demo Team

pilot Major Garret Shmitz was

flying the aircraft at the Royal

International Air Tattoo at RAF

Fairford, Gloucestershire when

this incident occurred. He

performed a high-speed pass

from right to left, followed by a

sharp right-hand turn and pull-

up, leading into a Derry turn. It

became apparent the aircraft had

a problem and the pilot circled

the airfield while conducting

safety checks. A fly-through

enabled air traffic control officers

and a safety pilot to visually

examine the jet, confirming that

part of the starboard horizontal

stabiliser had delaminated and

separated from the aircraft.

The pilot was uninjured in a

safe emergency landing.

D: July 22

N: Libyan National Army

Air Force

T: L-39ZO Albatros

S: 9444

Armed with two bombs on

underwing hardpoints, this aircraft

performed an emergency landing

on a rural road in the Ben Khadash

area, near Medenine, Tunisia. It

appeared undamaged despite

veering off the paved surface at

the end of its landing roll. The

pilot, Faraj Saghir, was uninjured.

Tunisia’s defence ministry said

the Albatros had entered Tunisian

airspace at around 0730hrs local

time. It was reportedly en route

from Brak al-Shati air base to

al-Watiya air base when it had

a technical problem with its

navigation system, leading to its

unplanned incursion into Tunisian

airspace. The serial 9444 was

carried on the right-hand side of

the forward and rear fuselage,

but the left-hand side of the

fuselage carried serial 9435. The

aircraft is, in fact, serial 9444,

fitted with the tail unit of 9435.

D: Jul 24

N/U: Azerbaijan Air Force/

MiG-29 Eskadrilya

T: MiG-29

This aircraft crashed into the

Caspian Sea at around 2200hrs

local time during a night training

flight. As AFM went to press,

a search and rescue operation

was under way to find the pilot

in an area within Azerbaijani

territorial waters. The aircraft

was from the MiG-29 Eskadrilya

at Nasosnaya air base.

D: Jul 25

N/U: French Air Force/

EPAA 20.300/

Patrouille de France

T: Alpha Jet E

S: E146 ‘2’

Prior to a planned display by the

team that afternoon at Saint-

Cyprien, this aircraft encountered

a problem on approach to land at

Perpignan-Rivesaltes (Llabanère)

International Airport in the late

morning. On extending the

undercarriage, a fire broke out in

the starboard undercarriage bay

and the tower confirmed flames

coming from that area. The pilot,

callsign ‘Athos 2’, confirmed he

had no brakes but was going to

attempt to land. After two or three

circuits, the aircraft touched down,

but was unable to stop before

running off the end of the runway.

The jet ran down a grassy slope

and across the RD614 road onto

rough ground, where it came to

rest nose down against a concrete

barrier at the side of the D117

Peyrestortes road. The pilot,

identified only as Captain Jean-

Philippe, ejected at ground level,

suffering minor back and shoulder

injuries, and was taken to hospital.

Local fire services doused the

small fire in the undercarriage bay

with foam to prevent it spreading

further. The team’s performance at

Saint-Cyprien was cancelled and

subsequent displays suspended

pending further investigation.

D: Jul 25

N: Libyan Government

of National Accord

Air Force

T: Unidentified UAV

A Libyan National Army (LNA)

spokesman claimed its forces

shot down this UAV when it

was approaching al-Jufra air

base in central Libya. There

has been no independent

confirmation of the claim.

D: Jul 25

N: Libyan National Army

Air Force

T: Unknown number of UAVs

A bombing raid by Libyan

Government of National Accord

Air Force aircraft destroyed a

UAV hangar at al-Jufra. It is

unknown how many drones

were in the building.

D: Jul 30

N: Pakistan Army

T: Beech King Air 350i

S: FL-766

At least 19 people, including two

pilots and three crewmembers,

were killed when this aircraft

crashed in Mora Kalu, a residential

area of Rawalpindi in Punjab.

Rescue officials said they

expected the death toll to rise as

some of those injured were critical.

Additional material from:

Igor Bozinovski, Mike Hiley,

Aleksandar Radić, Scramble/Dutch

Aviation Society, René L Uijthoven,

Dave Willis and Asagiri Yohko.

86-89 Attrition AFM Sep2019.indd 89 8/5/2019 11:52:35 AM